Mesh: Hydra Tools for administrating & interacting with Hydra Heads

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

MeshJS

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

5

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Provide tools for developers to integration Hydra to enable end-user operations like interacting with wallet, query UTXOs/balance and submit transactions and additional helpful functions

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All code will be published on Mesh github repository licenced under an Apache 2.0 open source licence

[METADATA] Horizons

Developer Tools

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Despite hydras potential, there is currently lacking engagement on further development and enhancement to already existing hydra functionalities. Mesh, recognises the gap and aims to provide tooling to further enrich hydra functionality.

This proposal aims to:

• Implement hydra Provider to connect with a Hydra node
• Enable functions outlining Hydra processes at different stages
• Setup Hydra Provider to fully interact with a Hydra node
• Enable linking to Hydra API documentation
• Deploy simple webpage that shows balance in a head and can create & sign transactions using a CIP-30 wallet
• Develop TxBuilder who can be started for Hydra settings
• Setup working Hydra Asteria (https://github.com/txpipe/asteria) integrated with Mesh
• Update meshjs documentation to help users start building on Hydra

As in our tradition, all proposal outcomes will be fully open source.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

By advancing hydra functionalities, we aim to contribute and boost hydra impact cases such as:

Scalability: Hydra is a layer-2 scaling solution for Cardano, allowing the network to handle more transactions per second (TPS) without overloading the main chain. This increases throughput and reduces congestion during high-traffic periods.

Cost Efficiency: By handling transactions off-chain and only settling the final results on the main chain, Hydra reduces transaction costs. This makes Cardano more attractive for developers and users, especially in applications that require high transaction volumes, like DeFi.

Faster Transactions: Hydra enables near-instant finality for transactions within a Hydra head, significantly speeding up the transaction process compared to the main chain.

Enhanced Developer Experience: Integrating Hydra with Mesh, along with updated documentation, makes it easier for developers to build and scale applications on Cardano. Simplified tooling lowers the barrier to entry, encouraging more developers to work on Cardano.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Trust and accountability:

MeshJS is one of the open source libraries with highest quality tooling in the Cardano ecosystem. Our previous work is the best and most sincere argument to showcase that we have been constantly delivering our promises since inception.

Feasibility:

MeshJS team has inside out knowledge on Cardano and software development in all domains of Cardano DApp development. We understand what users and developers need and have a strong track record which undermines our competency.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1

Milestone timeline: January 2025

Milestone outcomes: 

• Hydra Provider to integrate with a hydra node
• Functions providing base shape of hydra functions in different phases:

1. Open
2. Commit
3. Close
4. Fanout

Acceptance Criteria:

• Completed development: Hydra Provider to integrate with a hydra node
• Completed development: Functions providing base shape of hydra functions in different phases:

Evidence of Milestone completion

• Public links to the code on mesh github repository

Milestone 2

Milestone timeline: February 2025

Milestone outcomes:

• Hydra Provider to fully communicate with a hydra node
• Reference to API docs of hydra

Acceptance Criteria:

• Completed development: Hydra Provider to fully communicate with a hydra node
• Completed development: Reference to API docs of hydra

Evidence of Milestone completion

• Public links to the code on mesh github repository

Milestone 3

Milestone timeline: March 2025

Milestone outcomes:

• Web page displaying balance in a head and can construct & sign a transaction using a CIP-30 connected wallet
• TxBuilder can initiated for hydra constants

Acceptance Criteria:

• Completed development: Web page displaying balance in a head and can construct & sign a transaction using a CIP-30 connected wallet
• Completed development: TxBuilder can initiated for hydra constants

Evidence of Milestone completion

• Public links to the code on mesh github repository

Milestone 4

Milestone timeline: April 2025

Milestone outcomes:

• working Hydra Asteria (https://github.com/txpipe/asteria) running with Mesh

Acceptance Criteria:

• Completed development: working Hydra Asteria (https://github.com/txpipe/asteria) running with Mesh

Evidence of Milestone completion

• Public links to the code on mesh github repository

Milestone 5

Milestone timeline: May 2025

Milestone outcomes:

• updated meshjs docs for anyone to start and build on Hydra

Acceptance Criteria:

• Successfully updated meshjs docs for anyone to start and build on Hydra

Evidence of Milestone completion

• Public links to the code on mesh github repository
• Public link to updated Mesh docs
• Public link to close out report
• Public link to close out video

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Name: Hong Jing (Jingles)

Role: Technical Lead

Link: https://jingles.dev/  

Jingles is a machine learning engineer by day, and full-stack developer by night. Currently pursuing PhD in machine learning applied neuroscience while in the meantime building MeshJS, an open-source project for Cardano blockchain applications.

Name: TBA

Role: TBA

Link: TBD

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Milestone 1 Budget: 40,000 Ada

Milestone 2 Budget: 40,000 Ada

Milestone 3 Budget: 40,000 Ada

Milestone 4 Budget: 40,000 Ada

Milestone 5 Budget: 40,000 Ada

Total 200,000 Ada

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Building Open-Source Tooling to Enhance Hydra's Usability and Adoption

Our goal is to deliver value from multiple perspectives by creating open-source tools that enhance Hydra's functionality and accessibility.

Enhancing the Developer Experience

The current lack of Hydra-based projects is largely due to the limited tooling, currently available for developers. By providing robust tools, we can simplify the development process and making it easier for developers to build applications on Hydra.

Advancing Hydra’s Capabilities

Contributing to Hydra’s ongoing development enriches its features and maximizes its potential. This not only improves the protocol but ideally also helps the community to unlock new opportunities through Hydra’s enhanced functionality.